An epidemiologic survey of animal bites in Shemiranat, Tehran, 2009-2012

Animal bites are serious threats to human health due to their subsequent fatal infections such as rabies. The increasing rate of occurrences, the expanding number of animal bites and the distribution of rabies in many provinces of the country is alarming, necessitating further attention to control the disease and performing research on its different aspects. All records of animal bites referred to the clinic during 2010 to 2012 were included in this study. The obtained data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. Of 1875 registered cases, 65% were men and 35% were women. The mean age of the patients was 33.18 ± 17.15 years in both genders. There was no death record due to rabies. Most of patients (97%) lived in urban areas. The highest number of bites was occurred at the age of 20‑29 years (33%) and the highest frequency of bites happened in spring (29%). There was a significant (P < 10-6) relationship between the number of bites and season, favoring spring (29%). Most cases of animal bite caused by dogs (67%). The incidence was occurred more in rural areas (96%) than urban areas (68.1%). The most common bitten parts of the body were upper extremities (65%) followed by lower extremities (27%). The head, face and neck injuries were more common in age group <10 years than other age groups. In this study 1419 cases (76%) had superficial bites, and 33 cases (18%) had deep bites. Mean and standard deviation of delay time in receiving the anti-rabies vaccines was 15.4±26 hours. Considering the high cost of anti-rabies serum and vaccination, it is essential to take necessary measures to reduce the incidence of animal bites. Educational activities along with the promotion of nongovernmental sector cooperation can play a significant role in controlling this problem.